Developments in bilateral air service agreements

Abstract

This dissertation deals with international transport law and looks at the development of bilateral air service agreements governing international scheduled flights from their inception after the Chicago Conference of 1944 until the present day. The Chicago Conference left a legacy of separation in airline services. Scheduled and nonscheduled flights came into existence and bilateral agreements are needed to regulate international scheduled services. The relationship between the state and its designated airline forms the pivot of the bilateral relationship. However, the aviation relationship between state and airline and between states inter se face challenges as globalisation and development take place in the air transport industry. New methods of cooperation now exist which need to be adapted to suit the needs of individual countries and airlines. South Africa has accepted the challenges of development and undertaken modern methods of cooperation such as code-sharing.